Every billing company promises attention, expertise, and results — sales language has converged completely while operations still range from excellent to extractive. The differences live in answers to specific questions, asked before signing. Bring these nine to every vendor conversation, ours included.
The Operational Four
1. Who exactly works our account, and how many accounts do they carry? Vague answers about “teams” mean you have not met the workload reality. Named roles and honest ratios mean you have.
2. Can we see your work in our own system, or only in your reports? In-system operations are verifiable; report-only relationships require trust the industry has not always earned.
3. What are your written turnaround standards — charges, rejections, denials? Standards that exist in writing get met or measured; standards that live in adjectives do neither.
4. What happens when our assigned people are out for two weeks? The coverage answer reveals whether knowledge lives in systems or heads — and whether the vendor has its own key-person problem.
The Financial Three
5. What exactly counts as “collections” in the fee base? Patient payments, capitation, pre-engagement claims — every ambiguity favors whoever wrote the contract. Demand definitions with examples.
6. What is excluded from the rate? Credentialing, appeals beyond first level, patient statements, old AR — the exclusions determine whether the headline rate resembles the invoice.
7. What do your reports include, and can we see a sample package? A vendor’s actual monthly report tells you more than its promises about one — check for consistent KPI definitions and commentary that explains rather than reassures.
The Exit Two
8. What are the termination terms — notice, transition support, data return? Vendors confident in their retention make leaving orderly; vendors who make leaving painful are telling you their retention strategy.
9. Who owns our data and workflow documentation when we part? The only acceptable answer is you, in usable formats, without ransom.
Reading the Answers
Content matters; so does comfort. Vendors who welcome these questions operate like they expect scrutiny — the operational personality you want handling your revenue. Vendors who deflect have answered a different question, equally clearly.